ngang nhiên
Definition
Adjective:
- Bold-faced / Brazen: Acting openly and without shame, showing a lack of respect for others or for social rules.
- Inconsiderate / High-handed: Acting according to one's own will without regard for others or for what is right.
Adverb:
- Boldly / Brazenly / With impunity: Describes the manner of doing something in an openly defiant or disrespectful way.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Thái độ ngang nhiên của hắn khiến mọi người tức giận. (His brazen attitude made everyone angry.)
- Đó là một hành động ngang nhiên, không coi ai ra gì. (That was a high-handed action, showing no regard for anyone.)
Adverb:
- Nó ngang nhiên lấy đồ của tôi mà không xin phép. (He brazenly took my things without asking.)
- Chiếc xe ngang nhiên đỗ giữa lối đi. (The car parked boldly right in the middle of the pathway.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a strong negative connotation, implying arrogance, defiance, and a violation of norms or propriety. It is stronger than simply being "confident."
Variants and Related Words
Ngang ngược (adj): Recalcitrant, defiantly disobedient and unreasonable.
- Đứa trẻ ngang ngược không nghe lời ai. (The recalcitrant child doesn't listen to anyone.)
Trắng trợn (adj): Blatant, flagrant (often for bad actions). While similar, "trắng trợn" emphasizes the obvious, undisguised nature of the act, while "ngang nhiên" emphasizes the attitude of shamelessness.
Synonyms
- Brazen: Shameless and bold.
- Audacious: Showing a willingness to take bold risks, often disrespectfully.
- Inconsiderate: Thoughtlessly causing offense or inconvenience.
- Defiant: Showing open resistance or bold disobedience.
Related Idioms
- Ngang nhiên như rồng vào nhà tôm: To act brazenly and domineeringly (literally: as brazenly as a dragon entering a shrimp's house). This idiom emphasizes overwhelming, disrespectful boldness.
- Hắn vào đây ngang nhiên như rồng vào nhà tôm. (He came in here, acting as brazenly as a dragon in a shrimp's house.)
adj
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inconsiderate
